Tax committee chairman: Lawmakers handled budget responsibly

BATON ROUGE- The chairman of the state House tax committee says lawmakers shouldn't have trouble defending tax votes they took in the just-ended legislative session.

Rep. Joel Robideaux, a Lafayette Republican, said Monday the decisions made by lawmakers helped protect public health care services and higher education.

Lawmakers raised taxes and scaled back tax breaks to raise more than $700 million for the upcoming $24 billion budget.

Business groups have suggested lawsuits may be filed against some of the legislation, raising questions about whether they were properly passed and whether they improperly change already-granted tax credits.

Robideaux told the Press Club of Baton Rouge lawmakers closed the budget gap responsibly. He said they "trimmed" tax breaks that were too generous when struggling with a shortfall.